Tuesday, April 19, 2016

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 115

This is the daily
exploration for Sunday, April 24, 2016.

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE
OF SOLITUDE

+ The best and
sweetest flowers in paradise, God gives to his people when they are on their
knees in the closet. — Prayer, if not the very gate of heaven, is the key to
let us into its holiness and joys.

+ In Scetis, a
brother went to see Abba Moses and begged him for a word. The old man said,
"Go and sit in your cell and your cell will teach you everything."

-- A Saying From the Desert Fathers & Mothers

+ Holiness is the goal of this portion of the
explorations, the Journey of the Body.
Prayer is, of course, what all of these explorations are all about. I take the command of St. Paul to pray
unceasingly very seriously. But I
haven’t figured out how to do it. I certainly
don’t believe that the closet or the cell is the only place set apart for
prayer. But it is an important place and
that’s what we are emphasizing here.
The aim is to become so accomplished in the closet or the cell or
whatever sacred space you can create for solitude that prayer becomes a natural
part of your life with each and every breath.

It is beginning to make sense for me that this practice
belongs to the Journey of the Body. When
you create this sacred space of solitude, you become very aware of your body. It is a good time to make decisions about
caring for your body, to affirm your body which allows you to experience this
wonderful world so thoroughly. Our
bodies are indeed holy.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this
practice or any practice. And, I have
work to do on my Solitude Page. Maybe you can help. Send an email with the subject “Solitude” or
“Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.